Marvel Studios’ Blade is back in business and starting to look less messy, with a brand new director and scriptwriter on board: Yann Demange, who directed the pilot to HBO’s horror series Lovecraft Country, will helm the vampire action thriller, while Michael Starrbury will pen a new script for the feature.

Blade lost its original director, Mogul Mowgli’s Bassam Tariq, earlier in September due to creative differences. His exit prompted Marvel to take a more considered look at the project, eventually deciding it needed a page one rewrite. Starrbury earned an Emmy nomination for penning an episode of Ava DuVernay’s drama When They See Us.

Details are being kept under wraps but we know Blade will be dark and gritty in tone, falling on the edgier side of the MCU. Somehow and amidst the many changes and delays, the Mahershala Ali-starring film is maintaining its release date set for September 6th, 2024.

Yann Demange is a French-Algerian director who began in TV with Secret Diary of a Call Girl, horror miniseries Dead Set, and drama series Top Boy, before segueing into filmmaking with dramatic thrillers ’71 and White Boy Rick. He is currently developing a series adaptation of David Cronenberg’s seminal horror movie, Scanners, for HBO, which he will direct and executive produce. Starrbury, meanwhile, has The Come Up in pre-production with Lil Rel Howery set to star.